DeSantis: Hurricane Debris Remains ‘Huge, Huge Undertaking”
January 17, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state Division of Emergency Management to speed money to Panhandle communities that are being swamped financially by “massive” amounts of debris from Hurricane Michael.
Emerging from a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long and local officials, DeSantis said that, in addition to upfronting disaster relief money to local governments, he will push the White House to increase federal reimbursements for debris cleanup.
“I think that this warrants it,” DeSantis said after the meeting at A.D. Harris Learning Village in Panama City. “Obviously, there is a lot of stuff going on in Washington right now, it’s not the best of times. But I think that would be very good for the local community.”
DeSantis and Long later planned to tour Tyndall Air Force Base, Mexico Beach and a site where temporary housing was being put up in Panama City.
In addition to receiving the concerns from local officials about debris removal, Long said additional temporary housing is on the way.
“I think we have to take a deep breath and understand large-scale disaster recovery takes many years. It’s not just a matter of months,” Long said. “While a lot’s been accomplished, we realize we have a long way to go.”
Long also said he doesn’t expect Michael’s recovery to require a request for additional emergency funding from Congress or that the response for Michael will be impacted by the federal shutdown, which has halted paperwork for people seeking reimbursements from 2017’s Hurricane Irma.
Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said the state understands the needs of local governments that are burning through their annual budgets responding to Michael.
“It’s an impossible task when you have a $5- or $10- or $20-million annual budget, but yet the debris is two or three times your annual budget,” Moskowitz said.
State officials have estimated the Oct. 10 hurricane created about 20 million cubic tons of debris, as the Category 4 storm barreled a path from Mexico Beach into Georgia. Much of the debris is still strewn across the region.
By comparison, Hurricane Irma, which cut a path from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville, resulted in about 2 million cubic tons of debris.
Local governments expect to eventually receive 75 percent reimbursement from the federal government for debris removal. DeSantis said his request is to bump that figure to 90 percent on the federal side.
“I’m just constantly surprised at the scale of the debris,” DeSantis said. “For a storm that hit a relatively small portion of our state to have 10 times the debris of a storm (Irma) — that, granted, wasn’t as powerful but really ran up the whole state — that is a huge, huge undertaking.”
DeSantis said he’s seen progress in the clean-up and that the quicker the debris is cleared, other steps in the recovery will follow, such as reopening businesses and being able to better welcome tourists.
Wednesday was the second time DeSantis has gone to Bay County to view the recovery effort since he took office Jan. 8.
As of Friday, the storm had resulted in 141,039 insurance claims, with estimated insured losses of $5.023 billion. So far, nearly 73 percent of the claims have been closed, and 84 percent of the closed cases have resulted in money changing hands.
Still, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said he’s urging insurance companies to more quickly close claims.
“The longer that we draw out the insurance claims process, the more frustrating our homeowners get with the claims process, the more likely they are to go out and seek other solutions, and sometimes those other solutions are going to lead to fraud in their insurance claim,” Patronis, a Panama City Republican, said.
Patronis has also urged the Triumph Gulf Coast Board to work with the state Division of Bond Finance to assist in establishing loans that local governments could use for rebuilding. Triumph Gulf Coast administers settlement money from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
“My team has reviewed the law governing Triumph funds, and it seems to provide many allowable uses,” Patronis wrote to the board Friday. “Specifically, we believe these funds are an appropriate funding source to help rebuilding efforts by making secured loans to local governments.”
The Triumph board is awaiting a report from Bay County about the economic impacts of the storm.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
During Pensacola Meeting, State School Board Tackles Hurricane, Security Issues
January 17, 2019
With the annual legislative session nearing, lawmakers and education leaders likely will have to grapple with the fallout of Hurricane Michael on Northwest Florida school districts and continued questions about how to bolster school safety throughout the state.
Those issues drew discussion Wednesday during a State Board of Education meeting in Pensacola that also included new appointee Andy Pollack taking his seat on the board. Pollack’s daughter Meadow was among 17 students and faculty members killed in February during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County.
Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, representing the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, outlined a handful of major issues facing public schools, including a need to provide support to districts that face rebuilding or replacing schools damaged by Hurricane Michael.
Board Vice Chairman Andy Tuck also raised a question about whether the hard-hit counties face an exodus of students — an issue that could affect the amount of money districts receive through the state’s school-funding formula.
“When you start losing students, it’s just going to make it that much tougher,” Tuck said.
The Category 4 Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10 in Mexico Beach in southeastern Bay County and caused billions of dollars of damage as it roared north into the Georgia. In its path were rural, relatively low-income areas such as Calhoun, Liberty and Jackson counties.
Escambia County was far enough west that it was spared significant damage, but Thomas said that it has received students who moved away from Bay County after the storm. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, a former House speaker and budget chairman, indicated the state would work with the hurricane-damaged counties to determine the financial impacts and provide help.
Requests for help also could extend to state colleges in Northwest Florida. Palm Beach State College President Ava Parker, representing college presidents at Wednesday’s meeting, said the state also needs to look at the financial impacts of the storm on Gulf Coast State College in Bay County and Chipola College in Jackson County.
Lawmakers will start the annual legislative session March 5, with education funding always a major point of discussion. But during this year’s session, they also will deal with school-safety issues that emerged after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
House and Senate education committees next week are slated to receive presentations on a report by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was created by the Legislature and spent months delving into the shooting incident and ways to improve security.
One of the biggest debates likely will focus on having armed school personnel on campuses. While schools have long used law-enforcement officers, known as school resource officers, a law passed last year also allowed the use of armed school “guardians” — trained school personnel whose primary job duties are outside the classroom.
The commission recommended that classroom teachers be allowed to carry guns, though that idea was highly controversial when raised last year.
School districts have used different strategies to put armed security on campuses this year, but Thomas, the Escambia County superintendent, said the issue “remains a challenge.” When asked by Pollack for further explanation, Thomas said, for example, that his district chose to use off-duty law-enforcement officers to provide security, rather than guardians.
But he said the Escambia County sheriff “can’t afford to give up 32 deputies to go to 32 elementary schools, as much as he would like to.” Thomas suggested possibilities such as employing private security firms and using a centralized training system for guardians across the state to ease local training burdens.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Image courtesy The Florida Channel.
Suspect Arrested After Breaking Into Camper In Cantonment
January 16, 2019
A man was arrested after breaking into a camper trailer at a Cantonment residence Wednesday morning.
Jonah Richard Harris, 28, was charged with third degree felony burglary of an unoccupied structure, petit theft and simple assault.
About 6:40 a.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to Plaza Road after a resident discovered a man later identified as Harris inside a camper. Harris fled the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
He later threatened a woman that he made contact with as he was fleeing the area, deputies said.
The Sheriff’s Office established a perimeter and K-9 units responded to search for the burglary suspect. Harris was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Escambia County Jail at 10:08 a.m. He remained in jail Thursday with bond set at $7,000.
Tate Aggie Family Honors Lives Of Student Athlete And His Sister
January 16, 2019
The Tate Aggie family paid an emotional tribute to three-sport athlete and honor student Sean Banks and his sister — his biggest fan — before their basketball win over Gulf Breeze Tuesday night.
Banks, a 15-year old sophomore, and sister Antoinette McCoy were killed in a tragic car crash early Saturday morning when their vehicle was hit by an alleged DUI driver on East Kingsfield Road. It was just hours after Banks’ last basketball game for Tate, and only about a month since McCoy graduated from college.
Players, cheerleaders and fans formed a circle around the Banks family as they sat behind the Tate bench wearing shirts that said “Rest In Heaven” with a picture of Sean Banks kissing Antoinette McCoy on the cheek. An empty seat was placed next to the siblings’ mother, Davisa Banks. That’s where Antoinette would usually be found, cheering on her younger brother. Flowers and a “Rest In Heaven” shirt were place on the seat, and the family was presented with personal notes from the Aggie family.
For a photo gallery, click here.
To honor Sean, coaches placed red roses on a seat on the Tate bench. Head coach Clyde Abney placed Sean’s #40 jersey on the chair, along with a signed basketball. Abney wiped away tears afterwards before covering his face with his hands.
Players and cheerleaders were emotional, wiping away the tears as they stood arm-in-arm.
A moment of silence was held. A peaceful quiet fell over the gym, followed by sobbing.
Most of the standing room only crowd wore white to honor Banks, and students held signs like “Long Live Banks”, and “be like Sean #aggiestrong”. “Play for Sean” was one of the signs on the gym wall. Varsity players wore Banks’ #40 on a black band on their shoulders and a “4″ and “0″ on their socks.
And they did it for Sean, beating rival Gulf Breeze 86-79. For game details and photos, click here.
For a photo gallery from the memorial, click here.
RELATED STORIES:
- Bond Revoked For DUI Manslaughter Suspect
- GoFundMe Established For DUI Crash Family; Tate ‘Numbers’ Memorial Honors Banks
- Tate Aggies Football Banquet Honors Student Athlete Killed In Crash; Mom Addresses Attendees
- Tate High Aggie Family Mourns Loss Of Student Sean Banks
- Two Killed In East Kingsfield Crash; Cantonment Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter
Pictured top: A memorial to Tate High Aggie basketball player Sean Banks #40. Pictured inset: Tate head coach Clyde Abney places the jersey Sean would have wore Tuesday night on the seat. Pictured below: A seat for Antoinette McCoy next to the siblings’ mother, Davisa Banks. Pictured second below: Standing arm in arm, players and cheerleaders sobbed during the ceremony. Pictured third below: An emotional Abney buries his head in his hands. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bond Revoked For DUI Manslaughter Suspect
January 16, 2019
The man accused of the DUI crash that took the lives of a brother and sister early Saturday morning appeared before a judge Tuesday.
Judge Kerra Smith revoked bond for 24-year old Hunter Russell Black in an unrelated battery case from October 2018. Black was in a pre-trail diversion program on that charge, and a condition of his release was that he would not get arrested.
The Florida Highway said Black was traveling west on Kingsfield Road near Kingslake Drive about 12:30 Saturday morning when he crossed the centerline into the path of a 2001 Mitsubishi driven by 22-year old Antoinette Marie McCoy of Pensacola. McCoy attempted to avoid the collision but was hit head-on.
McCoy and her brother, 15-year old Tate High School student Sean Banks, died at local hospitals shortly after the crash.
Black was charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter and two counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury by the Florida Highway Patrol. He was released from jail about 1 a.m. Sunday on a $25,000 bond. He was returned to jail Monday after a motion was filed to revoke his bond on the battery charge.
According to State Attorney Bill Eddins, Black’s release from jail was the result of a misunderstanding with the Florida Highway Patrol, which led to the $25,000 bond amount being set.
Black is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing in the DUI manslaughter case on February 1.
The State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to have the charges against Black upgraded to two counts of vehicular homicide. Each count can carry up to 15 years in prison.
RELATED STORIES
- Tate Aggie Family Honor Lives Of Student Athlete And His Sister
- Tate Aggies Beat Gulf Breeze In Important District Game
- GoFundMe Established For DUI Crash Family; Tate ‘Numbers’ Memorial Honors Banks
- Tate Aggies Football Banquet Honors Student Athlete Killed In Crash; Mom Addresses Attendees
- Tate High Aggie Family Mourns Loss Of Student Sean Banks
- Two Killed In East Kingsfield Crash; Cantonment Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter
Pictured top: Hunter Black appeared in video court Tuesday in a battery case. Image courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Convenience Store Planned For Hwy 29, Hwy 97 In Molino
January 16, 2019
Plans are once again in the works for a new convenience store at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
Escambia County Development Services records shows Insite Engineering of Birmingham, AL, has submitted initial planning documents for the convenience store on 8.22 acres at the northwest corner of the intersection, across Highway 97 and north of the current Tom Thumb store
The property is currently woodlands and has had no previous development. The area to be disturbed is about 4.5 acres.
Documents show the estimated size of the building to be 6,000 square feet.
The property is owned by DGS Holdings of Atmore. In late 2017, plans were submitted to Escambia County by s Diamond Gasoline of Atmore for a convenience store on the property, but that project was not completed.
The Escambia County Development Review Committee will hold a pre-application meeting on store plans this Thursday afternoon. Before construction could begin,the plans must go through several more steps in the county approval process. At the pre-application stage, there is no assurance that plans will ever reach the construction stage or that the facility will have the currently outlined layout.
NorthEscambia.com graphic showing plans for a new convenience store in Molino, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Beat Gulf Breeze In Important District Game
January 16, 2019
The Tate Aggies defeated the Gulf Breeze Dolphins 86-79 Tuesday night.
Before the game, a memorial for player Sean Banks and his sister was held. Click here for details and photos.
Junior Guard Love Bettis led the scoring for the Aggies with 43 points. With the win, the Aggies improved to 12-5, 4-0 in the district.
For a gallery from the boys and girls varsity, click here.
RELATED STORIES
- Bond Revoked For DUI Manslaughter Suspect
- GoFundMe Established For DUI Crash Family; Tate ‘Numbers’ Memorial Honors Banks
- Tate Aggies Football Banquet Honors Student Athlete Killed In Crash; Mom Addresses Attendees
- Tate High Aggie Family Mourns Loss Of Student Sean Banks
- Two Killed In East Kingsfield Crash; Cantonment Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
District 5 Commissioner Schedules Town Hall Meeting In Molino
January 16, 2019
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will hold a town hall meeting next month in Molino.
The meeting will take place Tuesday, February 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Molino Community Center at 6450 Highway 95A. Residents are invited and encouraged to attend the open forum event.
Bill Would Let Students Be Excused From Jury Duty In Florida
January 16, 2019
Many full-time students in Florida could be excused from serving on juries, under a proposal filed Tuesday for the 2019 legislative session.
The measure, filed by Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, would allow people to request being excused from jury duty if they are 21 or younger and are enrolled as full-time students in high schools, state colleges, state universities or private postsecondary institutions.
Current law allows some other groups to be excused from jury service, including law-enforcement officers who are excused unless they choose to serve. Judges, for example, also excuse women who are expectant mothers and may excuse attorneys and physicians. Also, the governor and members of the state Cabinet are disqualified from jury service,
by The News Service of Florida
Two East Brewton Residents Killed In Northern Santa Rosa County Wreck
January 16, 2019
UPDATED 4:30 p.m. — Two East Brewton residents lost their lives in a single vehicle wreck Tuesday night in northern Santa Rosa County.
Jessica M. Haveard, 19, was northbound on Highway 87 near Hopewell Road when she lost control, ran off the roadway and collided with a culvert, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Her Jeep Patriot then overturned, ejecting the her and her passenger, Kenneth Tanner Mason Few, 21. Both were pronounced deceased on the scene.
They were not wearing their seat belts.